Escaping Elysia

Chapter 30 - Sacrifice

Dale

I've never been good at drawing, like Trenton was. Laying on my stomach on my bed, I continue sketching an outline of our plan so far. We don't really need a sketch, but I feel better seeing it laid out on paper. Less room for things to go wrong.

On the other side of the room, empty since I moved Trenton's things and Simon never had a chance to bring anything in, I can almost see Trenton's outline. If he were here today he'd be the one sketching, not me. Then again, if he were here everything would be different anyway.

My door opens and Weston comes in. His face is drawn into a grimace. I take in his mussed hair and wrinkled t-shirt. Sitting up, I close the book. My instinct is to yell at him to get out, but worry lines his face and I'm curious.

"You were right," he says.

Right about what? I raise my eyebrows.

"I was in the clinic," he says, his hands shaking, "when I overheard Sheer and Ellis talking. Ellis wants to leave." Weston steps closer, putting his hands in his pockets. He looks at the ground as he speaks.

"Sheer told Ellis it was too late for that. He came into the exam room I was working in, slamming the door. He told me-" Weston's breath hitches. "He told me what really happened to the other test subjects. They were killed."

I clench my hands, bunching up the fabric of my sweat pants in my fists. Deep down I knew it had to be true, but now that Weston believes, now that he heard it straight from Ellis, there's no doubt.

"And now you want to help us?" I grit my teeth.

He keeps his eyes trained on the floor. "I just kept thinking about Nadya. I can't let that happen to her."

My resolve falters, and the urge to hit him lessens. I knew he cared about my sister, but enough to defy the authority he's worshipped for years? To give up on his dream of helping the researchers create this miracle drug? I have my doubts. Yet here he is, offering to do just that. Weston has always said what's on his mind, no matter how much it would upset me or anyone else.

Regardless of how he's been acting lately, I know he doesn't want to see anyone get hurt. I can trust him.

I nod. "We're going to finalize the plan after breakfast tomorrow, in the Solar Room."

Weston nods, the grief over the loss of what he's built here etched on his face. Still, as he leaves the room a weight lifts from my shoulders. Everything, everyone, is finally starting to come together. Well, almost everything. Leah's going to hate this. 

*

Evita

If a guard walked in right now, we'd be toast. Leah, Nadya, Zola and I sit in a circle. Leah has one of the alcohol bottles, and I'm holding a piece of rope against it with my good hand while Zola affixes them together with tape. According to Leah this will "really give the guards something to worry about," but I don't know anything about making bombs, so I just tape when she tells me to tape.

Dale is a few levels up, cleaning the solar panels and mirrors by himself. They needed another pair of hands down here, but if we let the dust build up on the panels Sheer is bound to know something's up.

We're going to nail down the final details of the escape this morning. The thought sends shivers down my spine. We've decided to leave on Wednesday, six days from now, because Sheer has meetings every Wednesday and is never in the facility. We can't risk her stumbling upon me in her office. It's also the day before I'm supposed to have another procedure, if they follow the two week schedule again. I quash the butterflies in my gut. In six days we'll be out of this place, one way or another.